1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to latch lock assemblies, and more particularly to deadbolt latch housing and faceplate assemblies.
2. Background and Prior Art
Conventionally, deadbolt locks for doors contain a deadbolt latch supported within a cylindrical or tubular latch housing which is mounted in a lateral bore of the door and a lock cylinder mounted in a transverse bore in operational coupled relationship with the deadbolt latch. The latch housing is anchored within the lateral bore by a faceplate which is fixed to the latch end of the housing, and which is securely mounted flush with the door edge surface.
In wooden doors, the faceplate is conventionally rectangular and fits within a mortised or chiseled recess in the door edge circumscribing the lateral bore. The rectangular faceplate is secured to the door edge by a number of screws.
In metal doors, a circular faceplate is conventionally used instead of a rectangular faceplate, since it is not possible to chisel a recess in the edge of a metal door. The circular faceplate may have a plurality of serrations or teeth around its periphery which grab the inner bore surface when hammered flush with the door edge surface.
In the past, such deadbolt latch assemblies have been provided with faceplates permanently fixed to the latch housing. For rectangular faceplate assemblies, a pair of ear tabs extending from the latch end of the housing are sandwiched between the rectangular faceplate and a backing plate fixed to the faceplate. For circular faceplates, the ear tabs were sheared off and the circular faceplate was crimped around the cylindrical surface of the latch housing.
An improvement to the prior art discussed above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,488, assigned to the same assignee herein. The '488 patent discloses an arrangement wherein a deadbolt latch assembly is provided without a faceplate such that a rectangular or circular faceplate may be attached to the housing at an installation site as appropriate. However, this arrangement requires a specialized rectangular faceplate assembly having a backing plate with special tab slots and spring tabs for snap engaging and locking the ear tabs of the housing permanently in place. Additionally, such an assembly always requires a locksmith or installer to perform the additional step of attaching a faceplate to the housing. There thus exists a need in the art for further improvements to deadbolt latch assemblies.